The release notes of Luke Alex Davis

I don't like Novak Djokovic

Sun, 11 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT

I don't like Novak Djokovic. The dislike was petty at first but after his comments about <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/mar/21/novak-djokovic-indian-wells-equal-prize-money-tennis">women</a> and <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/novak-djokovic-anti-vaccine-987003/">vaccinations</a>, his annoying heel turns during matches when the crowd doesn't cheer for him, and those cringey <a href="https://twitter.com/atptour/status/1298084307659943937">rib donation celebrations</a>, I feel vindicated. I'm also not pleased that he'll have the most grand slams at the end of his career. If Nadal had it, I wouldn't feel as bad (although his comments about <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/tennis/2018/6/13/17459962/rafael-nadal-equal-pay-tennis-male-models">women's prize money</a> are equally as bad) but <em>ugh</em>.

All that growth

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Why is everything about growth, (capitalist-led) success, and ambition? What scares us so much about the present that we hyperfocus on these ideologies?

AI isn't a silver bullet

Sat, 07 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I've read a fair number of articles promoting large language models (LLMs) and the claims are either unsubstantiated or promising a "better" future that can't be guaranteed. The technology and the models have been around for so long, why is there such an indefinite wait?

In that time, you could just hire a subject matter expert, do the research yourself based on the existing information out there, or scale down rather than scale up on the content.

And yes, I'm a broken record because I've spoken on this many times and yes, there are SOME positive use cases for these LLMs but they don't outweigh the nonsensical and/or harmful ones and they certainly can't make all these lofty dreams come true.

Like, mental health care is abysmal. Is AI the answer or a significant change in our system (by change, I really mean dismantle and restart because reform won't work IMO). Waiting lists won't be cut down because AI assisted a professional in making a questionable diagnosis.

Medical science is biased. Where is the AI getting the data from? Who's cleaning that up? Who's testing it to ensure safety for Black patients (as one demographic example)? Who is asking these questions and who is listening and taking them onboard? What safeguards are in place?

Don't even get me started on AI use in the justice system!!!

Honestly, this boils down to two things:

I'm tired of "hey, I know you said there are fundamental issues here but I think we should ignore them and feed biased data into our technology to fix it."
I'm tired of this era of "whatever it takes to win, that's what I'm saying"

Update: while looking through my old blogs, I noticed that this title was similar to an article I read a few days ago called Is AI a Silver Bullet? and you should definitely read it.

Do as I do because I said so

Sun, 26 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I think it's dangerous for creatives of influence to tell other creatives that they need to follow a similar path that they did in order to be "successful". It suggests that the system works linearly and any deviation is going to fail, rather than dismantle processes that otherwise oppress or restrict creativity and longevity. "The system is fine, you've just got to follow it to be like me and my peers." Bullshit. Subversion is the way to go. That's why I don't really go for reforms as a silver bullet for oppression in society. If a house is built to keep rich white folks warm and kill anyone who isn't, redecorating a few rooms won't do anything; that house has to come down. The sooner we start organising to make those moves, the better it'll be for the marginalised. And within that, we can also find our moments of joy, wonder, and happiness because there's always space for that.

Closed-off captions

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I'm tired of watching movies on Amazon Prime Video and there not being any subtitles available. And these aren't obscure movies - I'm talking films with famous actors in them.

But that shouldn't matter because all films should have subtitles available: for disabled people, neurodivergent people, people who don't understand the language the film's in, and all the various intersections.

Or people like me who can't stand actors mumbling their lines (or might be in the kitchen making dinner while the film's on).

But I'm at the bottom of the priority list.

Pause Elon Musk

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I've not read the whole "pause AI" letter and I'm skeptical of Elon Musk's involvement in it (I don't think it should be completely ignored or that it's mutually exclusive to the principles of the letter) but I also don't think that the polar opposite is better, ie. investors and AI tycoons saying we should accelerate instead and add safeguards in place . Like wtf? Mostly women, particularly women of colour have been shouting about these harms for years and been ignored or straight up fired (with the classic excuse of "their work was below par") so if it was disregarded then, what makes them think it'll suddenly be taken seriously and competently put in place now? And who is gonna do it and check it when all the ethics teams are getting gutted? It's all a front to look like they care and that's enough for some people; no action, just a sense of awareness. Reminds me of the Defund The Police calls and Biden saying "no, we should actually boost the police's budgets". UGH! /rantover

Thing of the past

Sat, 22 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT

We're closer in time to what is known as the "Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade" of the 1700s–1900s or the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century than the dinosaurs but look at the difference in tone when people say "that was such a long time ago" for both.

New normals

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMT

There should be new normals for all of us that take into account the lives and needs of marginalised people and the various axes of power and privilege. We set boundaries and make accommodations for others so they feel safe to live and "be", whenever and if ever they want.

Sidenote: I don't agree w/ the common version of "living authentically". My version: as long as you're not dead, you're living authentically. Life is in us + around us, and not something that "happens" to us. Events + our reactions to them shape our behaviour + are manifestations of authenticity.

Solitude advice

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Today, I read a Bluesky thread by Cheryl Lynn Eaton that said:

There are so many people giving out relationship advice and no one's giving out solitude advice. Someone needs to get on that. I'm not being flippant. I think it's actually needed. <br><br> There's no third voice telling people how to navigate solitude during those infrequent dips into loneliness. There are experts telling people how to get a partner on the positive side. On the negative side there are "experts" promoting misogyny and misandry for financial gain.

Here was one of the replies:

First thing, you have to love yourself. Nobody else will Second thing, you have to keep busy. Too busy to examine your navel and sink into depression Third thing, you need to socialize. That can be online or through volunteer work or paid work Forth thing, pets help. But be fair to the animal

Me being me, I followed up and thought I'd put it in a release note:

We are all worthy of love regardless of whether we love ourselves.
Keeping busy is finite + speaks to a lot of harmful capitalist values + tropes (eg. burnout)
Socialising isn't necessarily safe or guaranteed due to accessibility or disability
Same kinda thing for pets. Also cost?

I will say that occupying yourself is a good thing but to a point. You fundamentally need to be at peace with stillness and the present. If you're not okay with that stillness/quietness/solitude, with everything switched off, busying yourself is just masking the problem.

There's always one "if I was sad, I'd simply smile and not be sad" person.

PSA for white people

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT

White people: you can literally say anything without using Black reaction gifs and memes. No, really! Sure, there are some ubiquitous examples but if the majority/all of your reactions are of Black people, that looks weird to me and I'm sure many other Black people (whether you know them or not).

Talkin' loud and sayin' nothin'

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT

In the face of fascism, we need to do all we can to break those systems and build peace and unity for the oppressed to live their lives without fear or death and dehumanisation. But so often, it feels like the focus is on the anti-fascism work itself. I wonder if the definition of virtue signalling has been lost (much like "woke") but I guess this is the best way to describe it.

"Look at us, WE'RE not racist! Look at what WE'RE doing to not be racist!"

It's very telling that the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom hasn't met with any Muslim leaders since the fascist riots started last week. All we've got are prison sentences (which people have applauded, uncritically) when prisons are supposed to be over-capacity, bringing out armies, and only one meeting on Thursday with Muslim community leaders. I'd expect nothing less from a prosector.

I'm just tired of the wrong things taking centre stage and I'm sending love, peace, strength, and guidance to all the Black and brown people affected by recent events and ongoing, because this isn't a singular moment that'll just go away.

Knowing thyself

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT

I know things about myself like my values and my strengths, what I like and dislike but I couldn't tell you what kind of personality I have if I even have one or whether I'm just a chameleon copying everyone else's. I'm amongst people and never truly feel like I fit in or that I can relate to most people. And that sucks.

How my Christmas break went

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I took three weeks off (this week is my last one). First week was spent in France with my family for Christmas. I really enjoyed it, nice and chill, but by the end I felt like I was ready to come home (even though I missed the setting and the scenery). Second week I spent it with my son whose birthday was on the starting Sunday. We had a lovely time and went to see Sonic 3 which restarted my Sonic hyperfixation and resulted in watching Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog all week with him, getting blue, orange, and red phone covers for my new phone, and completing Sonic 1. This week, I'm going to be unpacking boxes as I moved a few months ago, making music, playing games, watching movies, and reading.

All in all, a great time off and so glad I took 3 weeks off.

Don't trust Elon Musk

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Funny how some people only started taking notice of fascism coming out of the US at the moment when Elon Musk did a Nazi salute—which had similarities to an old American gesture known as the Bellamy salute—at an inauguration event. It's almost as if people only pay attention when there is something physically overt to pin it all to. Never mind the various marginalised groups calling these fascist behaviours previously and being shut down for sensationalism.

But anyway, here we are. What are you gonna do about it? You know, beyond telling people to vote. Because voting got us here too.

For Others By Others

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I think we need to pump the breaks on suggesting that certain technologies are good for disabled people when a lot of those technologies carry inherent biases against them, are in the control of ableist providers, and aren't necessarily safe in all cases. How useful are they then?

Especially when, if things go wrong, those providers say "hey, we're not responsible for misuse". What if it's not misuse? Disabled people should not have to heavily scrutinise what to do or how to use technologies that are allegedly made to improve their lives; they have enough to deal with. If you've made something for a marginalised group, that has to have been the primary objective and focus. Nobody wants your second-hand consideration and it shows anyway.

Originality

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Originality is an overrated and misinterpreted concept. While I don't think we should remake what other people have done without changing anything, I also don't think we should stop making things if they "already exist". We can learn by doing and that fosters new approaches. So go make!

Reinventing the wheel is a common practice these days because companies kill off existing technologies so they can be in control of them AND claim they did it (see: Amazon vs. libraries and shopping). But if you make a wheel, it can teach you about all kinds of things and keep you asking "what if?"

Some brief thoughts on generative AI

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

(I wrote this as a thread on Bluesky and I'm copying and pasting it here, verbatim.)

I've drawn a hard mental line between generative AI for words + code and generative AI for images. For the former, I know whatever I generate I can fully understand before reworking or destroying and restarting the outputs. Or if it's for a low-level/personal use, I'll make cosmetic changes.

I've never generated an image and I never will. While you can replace words in a paragraph or a function, I couldn't edit an image with the same level freedom. I'd have to reprompt or start hacking away at pixels of lines. That's a skill issue but then that'd be the whole point of using AI!

I've not mentioned the anti-labour aspect of generative AI for images and everyone can debate what is and isn't "fairer use". But the proliferation of it comes from people thinking that they can produce art at the same level in seconds when they might as well just trace the originals.

What I'd love is for people to scrutinize images more and be able to point out AI-generated multimedia. I hate that I've had to grow this brain muscle as it has negatively affected how I browse the Web. But it's unfortunately necessary. It's cringe go share AI art and not know you've done it.

On AI code: there's a murky area that this "vibes coding" stuff brought up. I code a fair bit and while I'm still learning, I sometimes have an internal crisis of wondering how much I could generate and use as-is and what I'd need to understand fully to maybe rewrite? Because that's not my code lol

Would have I written this if I knew more than I do now? Would I have known enough to think of the same approach or maybe a better one? Vibes coding is the opposite of all of that thinking but I'm also not in that stage of learning where I could ignore it all in the first place.

I guess it all boils down to: how much of this is me and how much of this is a mix of other people, distilled into floats and arrays.

Stop using the word "slop" and start critically thinking

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

import Lede from '../../components/Lede.astro';

<Lede>I can't take it anymore. You've got to stop using the word “slop”.</Lede>

Every conceivable event or behaviour or action has a -slop word attached to it:

blobslop
bowlslop
fedslop
friendslop
fujoslop
hetslop
parryslop
pencilslop
retroslop
rollslop
uncslop
workslop

The idea of using slop as a catch all term for crap generative AI outputs surely had its merit in the beginning. It allowed people to rally against tech proliferation and a reduction in quality from the arts. But now that has infiltrated non-AI spaces and it's less about the technology and more about not liking a thing and making it seem terrible in numbers.

What people need to start doing is thinking critically about why they don't like things. Maybe you've misinterpreted something or followed the crowd without forming your own opinions—it happens! Or perhaps you didn't know that other words existed to describe something low quality. But you sure as hell don't sound like you've thought it through if you use a -slop word.

By all means fight against Everything Everywhere All At Once: AI Edition; it's the least we can do. But for the love of god, diversify your vocabulary!

The infographic industrial complex

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMT

I spent too much time on Instagram. I don't post anything on my grid (in fact, I removed everything a while back) but I browse and post stories. The most common stories I see are infographics related to life and mental health. Some of them are tweets from people who may or may not have good intentions with what they say but, for me at least, I don't find them helpful at all and they reinforce the reasons why I don't talk to people.

Social media has provided a platform for simultaneous change and stagnation. Thanks to woeful inadequacy in public health care in the West, social media "therapists" have been the only source of relief for many. That's an indictment on governments and not those who genuinely try to help. But a lot of what I see skip the compassion that we need to get through difficult situations and goes straight for the jugular. We're somewhat hampered by 280 characters per tweet without turning thoughts into threads which are equally as oppressive to nuance. But the result is condensing the time and grace to navigate our feelings and emotions and spitting out two sentences that sound sharp and cut deep. That might work for some but it doesn't jostle me into action. It makes me feel like what I've been feeling for years was a waste of time. No time to unpack it, I've just got to... stop doing that thing. Telling me I'm worth it without examining why I never thought I was puts a blanket over the burden without releasing it.

We've got to dismantle the infographic industrial complex.

Marketing research

Sun, 20 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday, I was thinking about search, both as a technology and a human activity, and how well Google (or any company with a search engine but primarily them) and SEOs explain it to the public and understand it themselves. How much do we engage with people who search? Do we know their pain points? Why they decide to go to Twitter to ask questions instead of a search engine? Why they might ask someone else to effectively search on their behalf? I know there are videos about "how search works" but is that how THEY see search or is that based more on field research? Do SEOs obfuscate search to retain authority and make profit out of people instead of educating them? Are we constantly following outdated practices because we don't want to find out we're behind and need to improve? Are we selling lies and feeding biases because "that's how it's always been done and it doesn't harm me!"? Just some of the questions that revolve in my head that I have no time to resolve. And then I think about the mis/disinformation around search and how search engines work and instead of those companies looking inward, they go on the defensive. Who is that helping? I don't expect a masked magician search engineer to start revealing pieces of various search algorithms, presented by Mitch Pileggi. But I'd prefer if the responses weren't rude and snarky or sanitised to look like there aren't biases behind the scenes when there are.

Pithy

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT

I see so many pithy quotes and slogans on social media, giving us directives to better life and while I agree with some and I've promoted them as such, I wonder: where is the space for variability, fluctuation, and, in essence, humanity?

Discipline is key but what happens when external forces break that discipline? There's a space between the break and returning to routine (if we even do) and it's such a crucial time. Groups like the cult of positivity and The Church of Latter Day Risers & Grinders say to get back in immediately and to never let a setback or negativity stop you. But that negativity could be a life lesson because there's no escaping it. How can we learn to protect ourselves or build necessary resilience if we never know what we're facing. Another problem is not having the time to do it because we've got to survive. Many people aren't. I appreciate that. If anything, that's where space and grace needs to be given to those people.

But you might not get to that point if we live off the short and snappy slogans on Instagram and Twitter. It's the epitome of "easier said than done".

Dots in the universe

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT

We're all on a ball of rock, grass, water, with fire in the middle like some kind of elemental chimera (or a cheat Pokémon). It's much smaller than a subatomic particle in proportion to the rest of the universe.

If we're lucky, we might get to live near to a century. But we (might) only get to do it once (unless you believe in reincarnation). With all that in mind, we're unfathomably small in an unfathomably large space of existence and we only have a finite time in it. So why wouldn't or shouldn't we have ideal lives and make it so that everyone else does? Why do we commend people who make life so unfathomably hard for others that they no longer want to be alive because of it?

All is not well.

Gotta have faith

Sat, 30 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Today, I was asked if I could do a thing. I nearly said no but I decided I'd give it a try. I did better than I initially thought. The relief and joy it gave me was incredible. That's the power of Doing That Thing.

I think there are times when you could or should defer, either to someone else or until you're ready to do it yourself, but there are times to just go do it and in spite of myself and how I've been feeling lately, I'm proud of what I did today.

Hard work is overrated

Sun, 24 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT

After 2 years of a horrific pandemic (still going btw), I'd hoped-but not necessarily expected- that we'd have learnt more about ourselves, how to be compassionate, and organise against oppressors.

But all I see is calls to work HARDER and people doubling down on being shitty. And if you call it out? You're the inconsiderate one.

Rest? Wasted time. You should be finding a hustle to make passive income. Fight 'cancel culture', fight 'woke culture'. Instagram infographics with 5 word quips. Nonsense, fear, and greed. Manufactured moral panic. No critical thinking, just bad vibes.

It's sad and a damn shame.

What if...

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT

What if, instead of lacking confidence, you just lack knowledge of a situation and how to handle it? What if, instead of telling people "you can do it", we gave people the tools and resources they needed?